Final Fantasy VII 1. Default Chapter

Author's Note  
  
DISCLAIMER: All characters used within are property of SquareSoft. I do not own any of them, but I do own this piece of fiction. Please do not use it without my permission. Thank you! J  
  
First and foremost, some warnings about this piece of fan fiction.  
  
It is rated R for sexual situations of several types, language, and violence.  
  
But please, don't let that deter you from reading.  
  
Within the context of the story, I hope to invoke a variety of emotions. I strongly believe that none of the Final Fantasy characters used are one-dimensional. Thus, there is no one person that I will "pick on" or "bash". As this story is the tale of a reality show unfolding, everyone will have both happy and sad moments.  
  
This is a very daunting project, but it is one I hope you enjoy. As I try to capture the essence of three different worlds of Final Fantasy characters, I think you'll see some interesting relationships and parallels forming.  
  
Any ideas, feel free to send them.  
  
Any reviews? Feel free to post them. This is my first major work, and I look forward to hearing from all of you.  
  
With that out of the way, let's start the feature presentation! 


	2. Prologue: The Saucer Awaits

Prologue- The Saucer Awaits  
  
The music begins. The same music, haunting, beautiful, and annoying all at the same time.  
  
200 feet above the surface of the Planet, at 11:00 PM, the Gold Saucer is lit up, somehow sparkling even more brightly than usual. Its shining acts as a beacon, forcing all eyes in Corel below upwards. The effect radiates outward, compelling citizens of Gonzaga and Nibelheim to look up, or else, turn on their televisions.  
  
The song continued, the joyous melody now covering half the planet. As word of mouth spreads, televisions in Rocket Town click on. Slowly, the melody makes its way into Kalm Town, and finally hits all eight sectors of the rebuilt Midgar. Approximately 40 million people on the Planet are now tuned in, all focusing on this one object.   
  
All staring at the Golden Saucer. All wondering what is next.  
  
Their wondering is answered as two words appear on the screen. The two words that will define their lives for the next month.  
  
'NO REMORSE'  
  
As the words explode on-screen, the camera closes in on the Gold Saucer, as 5,000 people stand, cheering madly as two very familiar faces step on screen. One man who had worked for good, one man who had worked for evil….both men who had worked for Shinra.  
  
Reeve: WELCOME TO THE GOLD SAUCER EVERYONE! THIS IS 'NO REMORSE', BROUGHT TO YOU BY SHINRA, INC!  
  
The throng screams at the top of their lungs, attempting to draw the camera to them. Reeve's partner keeps a stoic expression on his face, as he wordlessly punches out a fan who has gotten too close.  
  
Rude: …  
  
Reeve: Yes, I'm glad to see you too, Rude!  
  
Rude: …  
  
Reeve: Okay, this is just ridiculous! I need someone WHO TALKS!! HELLO?!  
  
Rude: …  
  
Pulling out his PHS, Reeve quickly begins talking into the phone. Satisfied, he closes the PHS, and goes back to address the crowd.  
  
Reeve: Now, for the past six months, we have been preparing for this day. On all Shinra TV networks, you've been seeing the advertisements for No Remorse. And now, at 11:05 PM, we are going to spill the biggest secret in television history! Do you have ANYTHING to say about THAT, RUDE?  
  
The TURK looks over at Reeve, seemingly wanting to smack the taste out of the Cait Sith controller's mouth. Instead, he turns back to the audience, and…..smiles?  
  
Rude: ACTUALLY, Reeve, I do.  
  
Reeve looks positively flabbergasted as Rude continues on, in an extremely deep voice.  
  
Rude: Society has established for us all certain rules, certain lines that we cannot and should not break. Ideally, human beings should not kill. We should not steal. We should not covet what others have. But, in practice, this theory falls apart. That is why we have Midgar Police……and the TURKS..  
  
Rude glares over at Reeve, his point having been proven.  
  
Reeve: Yeah, uhh…..Rude's right! In our society, if you do one of those things you're not supposed to do, you get arrested! You get jailed! And you might even get executed! It lets society run well, but it doesn't let us know who we REALLY are!  
  
Rude: We are prevented from doing these things not out of our nature necessarily, but out of fear! The fear of reprisal. Leaving our Shinra scientists in a quandary. How CAN we figure out what human nature is? And for the answer, we turned to our best scientist. Put your hands together for HOJO!  
  
The Jenova-enhanced scientists walks onto the stage, shaking hands with both Reeve and Rude, receiving a nice ovation from the crowd. He speaks, with a slight accent.  
  
Hojo: Well, Rood, we came tooo the concloosion that oonly by remooving the penalties foor coomitting sooch crimes that we coold coome to a coonsensoos oon the matter!   
  
Reeve: Thank you Hoo--err, Hojo! Yes, Hojo, ladies and gentlemen!   
  
A drop of sweat pours onto Reeve's expensive black suit, as he watches Hojo leave. Rude chuckles under his breath, as a fuming Reeve continues.  
  
Reeve: For those of you that don't speak scientist, what Hojo just told us is that only without reprisal for crimes, can we tell what human nature truly is! Would you kill your annoying next door neighbor, if only you knew you would get away with it? Would you knock off the Midgar National Bank, knowing full-well you WOULDN'T BE ARRESTED? WOULD YOU--  
  
Rude cuts him off, a malicious smile on his face.  
  
Rude: Would you have sex with the beautiful girl with the really big knockers, even if you knew she was succeeding in kicking your ass every time you met up with her?   
  
From somewhere off screen, cries of, "I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!" echo out, as Rude has himself a nice guffaw.  
  
Rude: ….Sorry Reno, but the truth hurts, doesn't it?  
  
Choosing to ignore Rude's tangent, the intrepid Reeve leaps back into his schpiel.  
  
Reeve: For the next month, THESE PEOPLE WILL EAT, SLEEP, AND BREATHE SIN! It starts here, in the Golden Saucer. As the months go on, they will be sent to locations all over this planet, and even to other Planets! They will be sent in pairs, threesomes, quartets, and any other combination we can possibly think of! We will give them every chance to loot, kill, woo, pillage, and maim! The world will be their playground! BUT! After all the dust has settled, and all the smoke has cleared, they will have to make one final decision, the most difficult of all!  
  
Rude: Behind us sits a machine, capable of erasing our contestants' memories, and reverting it back to exactly one month earlier, before they enter this Saucer! Will they become so overcome with grief at their actions that they agree, even at the cost of forgetting any happiness? Or will they be content with themselves as is, bearing both sins and joys for the rest of their lives?  
  
Reeve: And now, it's time to tell you a little bit about each of the competitors that will be starting this incredible journey tonight!  
  
The voices begin speaking. Short blurbs, explaining precious little about themselves..  
  
"I'm Cloud Strife, from Nibelheim. I agreed to be on "No Remorse" because I just helped save the Planet, and I want to know what's next in my life."  
  
"I'm Quistis Trepe, from Balamb Garden. I agreed to be on "No Remorse" because I want to meet the love of my life."  
  
"I'm Auron. I'm dead. I'm here because I think it will amusing to watch all of these idiots do dumb things."  
  
"I'm Rikku, y'know? I'm an Al Bhed…and I'm here to have fun!"  
  
"I am Sephiroth…the One Winged Angel…that is all."  
  
"Hi! I'm Selphie Tilmett, from Trabia Garden! How is everyone?"  
  
"I'm Irvine Kinneas…from Galbadia. Hello ladies!"  
  
"I am Aerith Gainsborough..I do not yet know why I am here."  
  
"I am Wakka, ya? I'm here to let loose!"  
  
"I am Summoner Yuna.. I am here to save Spira..well, actually, to laugh!"  
  
"I am Seymour Guado…Maester of Yevon."  
  
"I'm Yuffie Kisagiri! I'M HERE FOR MATERIA!!"  
  
"Dis be Barrett, foo'! I is here to get all up in this BIATCH!"  
  
"I'm Tifa Lockheart…I'm here for Cloud."  
  
"I'm Tidus….from Zanarkand. This is my story."  
  
"I'm Rinoa Heartilly, of Deling City..to soften a heart of stone."  
  
"…..I'm Squall…."  
  
"I am Lulu…Guardian of Yuna..which I am now, and forever."  
  
"I'M CID FUCKING HIGHWIND! NOW GET ME MY &#^&&@^# TEA!"  
  
"My name is Ultimecia…kill the SeeD.."  
  
Reeve looked back up into the camera as the introductions were done. The confident smile was gone, replaced by a tinge of sadness. It was almost as if he had realized that this wasn't another Shinra scheme, another plan…this was real. He had been involved in a company that had tried to mold the Planet to its whim, but somehow, this seemed more evil. Perhaps because he knew several competitors as Cait Sith, or perhaps just his natural emotions. He consoled himself with the huge payday the higher ups would give him for the smash hit show, an irony not lost on him, as he whispers to himself.  
  
"Selling my fucking soul for cash….I belong on the damn show."  
  
Rude looks over at him, but gives no indication that he heard a word. Rude nods, and goes into his closing speech.  
  
Rude: It is now 11:55 PM. In five minutes, THERE WILL BE NO REPRECUSSIONS!  
  
Reeve: THERE WILL BE NO CONSEQUENCES!  
  
Rude: THERE WILL BE….  
  
He pauses, as the fans at the Saucer, and around the world scream the final two words. Rude waits for them to finish, and then says them, in a cold, chilling voice.  
  
Rude: …..NO…..REMORSE.  
  
"And we're clear!"  
  
The cameraman's call was a relief to the two men. Off camera, they became like the rest of the Planet: Interested observers. Or so they thought. Near their position was a man with a web camera, broadcasting all activities during commercials to those who knew where to find it. Due to lots of web advertising, it seemed that just about everyone knew about . As they clicked onto their browsers, they saw an interesting picture.  
  
Rude: So, we have any interesting matchups in the first day?  
  
Reeve: Naw…the luck of the draw was kind to us.  
  
Rude: How you figure? The boss wants big ratings!  
  
Reeve: We're gonna get big ratings no matter what for these first few shows. We've got to give them a reason to keep watching. I mean, when Cloud realizes Aerith's alive, that's ratings, man!  
  
Rude: Yeah, I guess you're right.  
  
Reeve: Don't worry though. There are a couple of interesting situations to pique our audience's interest. Keep in mind, the competitors don't know who's in this other than themselves, so we're gonna have some FUN over the next month! 


	3. Day One: The First Ten Meet

Day One: The First Ten Meet  
  
"And we're back!"  
  
Rude and Reeve immediately snap back into television mode, unaware of the illegal web broadcast that they have been captured on.  
  
Reeve: To let you know how we will be watching our competitors, we have every nook and cranny of the Gold Saucer wired with cameras. Additionally, we will have the help of the Cait Sith Cam! Attached to my faithful Cait Sith is a camera, used to get into places we can't normally get to!  
  
Rude: It is now twelve midnight.   
  
Reeve: And you know what that means..  
  
Rude: I do.  
  
Reeve and Rude: LET THE SIN BEGIN!!!  
  
Wonder Square  
  
Inside the Wonder Square, our first two competitors sit in chairs facing one another, blindfolded. The thoughts of each are quite different indeed…  
  
'Come on….let me take this blindfold off!' The female in the room was quite agitated, being of the impatient sort. Her young frame sat literally straining in her chair, ready to remove the blindfold.  
  
The man in the room was grumbling under his breath. Large amounts of obscenities appeared to spew from his lips, as they were given the signal to remove their blindfolds.  
  
The man's blindfold came off first, and his reaction was immediate. "NO! FUCK NO!" he cried, almost unable to believe this was happening to him. The girl, however, was quite more enthusiastic..  
  
"Hi Cid," called out the ninja. "Can we go get some materia?"  
  
Yes, Yuffie and Cid had been locked together in Wonder Square. Cid was still in shock. Something like this only happened in his nightmares. But hell, he had agreed to be on this show. He may as well have some fun. The female ninja had spunk. He had to admit he admired that in a person. "Alright Yuffie, but we're not going to go get SOME materia!"  
  
Her face was downtrodden, until he continued..  
  
"We're going to get some (&#^%($%^&%^$#^&*( MATERIA!!"  
  
She looked at him, quizzically. "What does that mean?"  
  
Cid sighed, resignation on his face. "Let's just go. There's lots of games here."  
  
Round Square  
  
"If I'm in here with one of dem Shinra bastards I'M GONNA GO KILL SOMETHIN'!"  
  
Barrett Wallace was not a happy man as he removed his blindfold. He was pleasantly surprised to find a young woman across from him, though. It was not a face he knew, but the girl seemed friendly enough. As a matter of fact, she made first contact.  
  
"Hello. I'm Selphie Tilmitt. You are?" She extended her hand, for a shake, smiling the whole time.  
  
"Barrett Wallace. Leader of AVALANCHE!" He accepted the handshake, crushing her hand in his large paw.  
  
"Hey! Calm down a bit! That hurts!". She shook her hand out a bit as he released it, looking up at Barrett. "So, it's karaoke night in Round Square apparently…you like to sing?" She asked the question hopefully, not expecting such a large man to be down for busting out a tune.  
  
"Are you kiddin'?! Of course! Let me up there!" he screamed. Barrett smiled, as he charged the stage, and swatted the current singer out of the way with his massive gun-arm. The man hurtled offstage, crashing to the floor below. The audience applauded, having seen the first injury of the evening. Barrett looked over to the band, whispering instructions. He smiled, as the music began, a song the audience was familiar with..  
  
"I LIKE BIG BUTTS, AND I CANNOT LIE! YOU OTHA BRUTHAS CAN'T DENY! THAT WHEN A GIRL GETS UP WITH AN ITTY-BITTY WAIST AND A ROUND THING IN YOUR FACE…"  
  
Selphie couldn't help but laugh. She'd taken one look at Barrett, and assumed him to be a serious person. That image was easily shattered watching him sing Sir Mix-A-Lot's classic while shaking his ass around. She smiled, having come up with another, similarly themed song. "Hey Barrett!" she called. "My turn!"  
  
The music stopped, as Barrett grinned. That had been more fun than he had expected. He stepped off to the side, as Selphie took center stage, and began singing…  
  
"Ooh that dress looks scandalous…"  
  
Barrett didn't hear another word due to his doubling over laughing. The concept of the innocent looking girl singing the "Thong Song" drove him to near tears. He picked Selphie up, and threw her out into the crowd, who caught her and began passing her through the Round Square. She continued singing all the while, as Barrett shook his head, laughing to himself.  
  
"Dayum, this is gonna be an interestin' month.."  
  
Chocobo Square  
  
By now, in the real world, it was roughly 1:30 AM. The show was now having to show tape-delayed footage, as it would for the rest of the day. After each meeting, the two people had an opportunity to sleep, if they so chose. Cid, Yuffie, Barrett, and Selphie were all awake still, having a blast in the Saucer. Would the next couple have the same success?  
  
Cloud Strife sat in Chocobo Square, his blindfold off, staring at the woman across from him. He did everything he could not to look at the unusual woman's breasts, but they rivaled Tifa's, making it quite difficult. For her part, Lulu's eyes were drawn to Cloud's spiky, blonde hair..  
  
"Name's Cloud," he said, mumbling, trying to keep his gaze at her eye level.  
  
"I'm Lulu," she offered, her usual dry tone of voice taking effect. Silence pervaded between the two, and would have likely continued if not for the two men who grabbed them by the arm.  
  
"Come on you two! We need jockeys for the Chocobo Races!"  
  
"WHAT?!" They were both shocked. Lulu wasn't exactly a chocobo expert. Cloud had some more riding experience, but still, he was nowhere near the level of an expert. They were thus both greatly relieved when they met their steeds that the other six chocobos were ridden by people equally as nervous as they were. Cloud sat atop his Chocobo, #4, while Lulu rode next to him, on #5.  
  
"On your mark, get set, GO!"  
  
Lulu's chocobo flew out of the starting gate, without any prompting on her part. She smiled inwardly, more than willing to let the bird run on autopilot. Cloud had started badly, but his #4 chocobo recovered quickly, pushing itself into fourth position, behind #1, #7, and Lulu's chocobo…  
  
"COME ON #4! GO #3! DADDY NEEDS A NEW MATERIA!"  
  
Cries from the crowd rang out, rooting the chocobo they bet their hard earned gil on forward, trying to will it to the finish line. Cloud was showing his skill as a rider now, bringing his steed to near even with Lulu's. Lulu looked over at the dashing Cloud charging up to catch her. Despite herself, she had to admit that, if nothing else, he WAS something to look at…  
  
"AND #4 TAKES IT! WHAT A COME FROM BEHIND VICTORY!"  
  
As bettors cheered and booed alternately, Lulu shook her head. That moment's lapse had cost her a victory. Although, in the grand scheme of things, she didn't seem to mind much…perhaps it WAS time she let Chappuu go, after all…  
  
Speed Square  
  
As the blindfolds came off, two very different men stared each other in the eye. A man who had once been dead, somehow now brought back to life, and a very lively fellow indeed, cowboy hat on head.  
  
"I'm Irvine…so, you want to go find some nice ladies?" The sharpshooter from Galbadia smiled at the man across the way, trying to gauge if he was in the mood for scoring some chicks..  
  
"I'm Auron, and no, I do not want to go 'find some nice ladies'". He scowled, realizing that he was probably in for a long day. Irvine, seeming content to leave Auron behind, ran up to the roller coaster, and began putting the moves on a cute redhead.  
  
"So, baby, would you like to ride with me?" Irvine smiled confidently. A simple line, but one that had worked for him many a time with the students at Galbadia Garden.  
  
"How about NO!" The women screamed, and smacked Irvine right across the face. He clutched his cheek, and looked at her contemptuously, wondering how she could POSSIBLY reject the great Irvine. Suddenly, Auron realized what he had to do.  
  
"How about going with me," he asked, no smile on his face. But he seemed to have a startling effect on her, indicated primarily by her grin, as she runs over and grabs his arm. "Sure!" she squealed, dragging him off onto the ride. "I LOVE tall, dark, and handsome men!"  
  
Irvine sat down, alone at the foot of the coaster, watching the pair walk onto the ride. Failure was not something Irvine was used to. He shrugged it off, consoling himself with the knowledge that there WERE ten women on this trip. Perhaps later he would find a nice one..  
  
His concentration was suddenly broken by Auron and his lady friend exiting the ride. As they headed off for the corner, Auron couldn't resist rubbing it in one last time.  
  
"Remember Irvine!" he exclaimed, delighting in this, even though his voice remained monotone. "Chicks dig the glasses!"  
  
Irvine's response was simple, and probably quite accurate as to his feelings.  
  
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"  
  
Ghost Square  
  
The next two sat in plush chairs in the lobby of the well-known Ghost Hotel, nervously shaking. For two people who had been presumed dead for quite some time, the meeting place was ironic. The star blitz ball player sat, wondering just why he had done this for the millionth time, as the answer came to him once more. "Yuna."  
  
The girl across from him was not Yuna, but rather, another who had left her world. Like Tidus, she couldn't quite understand why she had agreed to do this. But, unlike Tidus, she didn't know. The name kept repeating in her head, over and over again, but she quelled it. She couldn't possibly expect him to be available, not with her around anyway..  
  
They took off their blindfolds, and looked at one another, each feeling an instant pang of heartbreak. Tidus looked into Aerith's gentle eyes. Almost immediately, he saw the warmth of Yuna, her caring personality.   
  
She looked into Tidus' eyes, and saw what she knew Cloud to be. Beneath the exterior beat a pure heart. Moments had passed before they became conscious of their actions, as both knew staring wasn't polite, especially at strangers.  
  
"I'm sorry!" they said almost simultaneously. Tidus continued, "But you remind me of.."  
  
"Someone I used to know?" she finished. The pair looked at each other quizzically, realizing something was happening, but not being sure of exactly what.  
  
"You remind me of this girl I know, Yuna," he said, slightly embarrassed. You seem to be just like her, you have this way of carrying yourself..  
  
"And you're like this guy, Cloud. When he let his guard down, he was confident, proud…" They continued looking at each other, unashamed, unafraid..and then the tears came.  
  
Their eyes did not leave their positions locked on each other as they cried, damp tears rolling down their faces. Despite her tears, Aerith realized that the man across from her, while not Cloud, was someone like herself. A friend. Her sobbing ceased, as she moved over, kneeling beside Tidus' chair.  
  
"I may not be Yuna, but I feel that we are kindred spirits, in a manner of speaking. We are each in search of the same thing. I'm Aerith, and I promise if I hear anything about Yuna, I'll let you know, okay?"  
  
Tidus couldn't speak to thank her, so he did the next best thing. As she stood, he gathered her into his arms, hugging her gently. She smiled at the friendly gesture.  
  
"I'll take it that means 'thank you'?" He nodded, getting out a few words. "If I hear about Cloud, I'll tell you, too."  
  
Aerith gave her thanks, but still, deep in her mind, was wondering about Cloud. Sure, she wanted to see him, but what would she do if she did?  
  
Outside the Gold Saucer  
  
It was now 3:00 AM….and Reeve and Rude were dead tired. The broadcast for the evening had left off with Aerith and Tidus hugging. It was likely that all the competitors were asleep. They would have to wait until noon tomorrow to continue broadcasting. Reeve cursed silently, but realized that the four hours of television hadn't been bad at all..  
  
"You know, Rude, that was actually compelling." He smiled, secure in being off-camera, except, of course, for the web camera, focused on him even here as he sat. "Especially the part at the end."  
  
"Yeah, and Barrett singing "Baby Got Back" did me good, too," Rude stated, trying to hold back peals of laughter. "And some of the best of Day One is yet to come!"  
  
"Indeed it is Rude," Reeve said, "Indeed it is. But for now, let's just get some sleep. We have to be up at twelve noon to continue the Day One broadcast."  
  
Reeve's words were lost on Rude, who sat snoring in his chair. Reeve closed his eyes as well, trying to get some shut-eye. The only people left awake were the viewers, enthralled by the events of the evening. As the Planet shut down for the night, restless sleep took over, with millions of viewers wondering just what would happen next… 


End file.

Final Fantasy VII, Humor, Romance